John O'Farrell Books

This history of medieval inventions, spanning the eleventh to the fourteenth centuries, highlights a vibrant period of human creativity whose impact continues today. Innovations such as the mechanical clock and the first eyeglasses transformed society, with many modern devices tracing their roots back to this era. The text is organized into ten thematic chapters, allowing readers to explore specific interests or read sequentially for a comprehensive understanding. One chapter discusses the paper revolution, detailing how advancements in mill power led to the mass production of affordable paper, crucial for the later success of the printing press in making books accessible. Another chapter emphasizes the role of Islamic civilization in preserving ancient Greek texts and the efforts of translation teams in Sicily and Spain to make these works available in Latin for European audiences. Additionally, a chapter on discovery instruments examines the influence of the astrolabe, imported from Islamic regions, and the compass, originally from China; these tools, along with shipbuilding innovations, fueled European trade expansion and the subsequent age of discovery during Columbus's time. Featuring original drawings that illustrate these early inventions, this exploration reveals how medieval farmers, craftsmen, women artisans, and clerical scholars established the foundations of the modern world.

Examines how England's peculiar class system was established by some snobby French nobles whose posh descendents still have wine cellars and second homes in the Dordogne. This title explores the complex socio-economic reasons why Britain's kings were the first in Europe to be brought to heel. It is a journey through Britain' bizarre history.

"Like bubonic plague and stone cladding, no-one took Margaret Thatcher seriously until it was too late. Her first act as leader was to appear before the cameras and do a V for Victory sign the wrong way round. She was smiling and telling the British people to f*** off at the same time. It was something we would have to get used to.' Things Can Only Get Better is the personal account of a Labour supporter who survived eighteen miserable years of Conservative government. It is the heartbreaking and hilarious confessions of someone who has been actively involved in helping the Labour party lose elections at every level- school candidate- door-to-door canvasser- working for a Labour MP in the House of Commons; standing as a council candidate; and eventually writing jokes for a shadow cabinet minister. Along the way he slowly came to realise that Michael Foot would never be Prime Minister, that vegetable quiche was not as tasty as chicken tikki masala and that the nuclear arms race was never going to be stopped by face painting alone."

This text features a collection of John O'Farrell's 'Guardian' columns, the final part of the trilogy in which he discovers that Margaret Thatcher is actually his mother. Contained within these covers are 100 funny essays on subjects as diverse as Man's ascent from the apes and the re-election of George W. Bush.

Elucidates the bizarre events, ridiculous characters and stupid decisions that have shaped Britain's story since 1945

'John O'Farrell couldn't be unfunny if he tried' Alan Johnson 'A touch of self-deprecation and a sense of humour... John O'Farrell has these qualities in spades' Guardian 'O'Farrell is a consistently humorous writer with an acute ear for the absurdities of middle class pretension' Mail on Sunday _________________ All across Britain, a generation of grown-up children are graduating from university, moving back in to their old bedrooms and showing their gratitude by berating their parents for their out-of-date politics. But for proud and high-profile left-wingers Emma and Eddie Hughes, the return of their only child is a far greater challenge than they ever could have anticipated. Young Dylan had warned them there was something personal he needed to tell them, but nothing could have prepared his right-on parents for the shocking revelation he delivers. Their son is a Conservative. John O'Farrell's highly popular family novels such as May Contain Nuts or The Best A Man Can Get meet the razor-sharp political satire of Things Can Only Get Better in this hilarious and warm-hearted antidote to our divided times. Read it and pass it on to that annoying relative who votes the other way.

Controlling maternal obsession. Alice feels panic stricken at the terrors of the modern world. She worries too much gluten and dairy may be hindering her children's mental maths. She frets that there are too many cars on the road to let them out of the 4x4. Finally she resolves to take control and tackle her biggest worry of all, her daughter is not going to fail that secondary school entrance exam because Alice has decided to take the test in her child's place....

A Tube train is trapped underground due to an economic collapse above. It explores how this situation arose and how the passengers will escape, potentially breaking the unspoken rules of Underground etiquette by communicating with one another.

A copywriter in an advertising agency secretly lives a precarious double life in an attempt to escape the strain of parenthood. He thinks he can have it all, until his deception is inevitably exposed.

'This week the first pet passports came into effect. Around the country dogs have been hopping into photo booths and trying to look as relaxed as possible, which is not easy when you know you're not allowed on the chair.'Gathered here are the best of John O'Farrell's newspaper columns for the Guardian and the Independent which saw him win the coveted Best Columnist of the Year Award at the prestigious British Liars Awards. Among many other things, he claims that the only conviction in the Tory Party will be when Jeffrey Archer gets sent to prison; that scientists have created a genetically superior monkey which will advertise lapsang souchong instead of PG Tips; and that with the election of George W. Bush, the global village has finally got its own global village idiot.

It's a big night at the London Palladium. As Jimmy Conway steps out live on national television, blinking in the spotlights, he can't help wondering whether he should have perhaps shared his little secret with someone else by now. Jimmy has never done any performing of any sort ever before... Just as bogus doctors are occasionally discovered working in hospitals, Jimmy Conway has become a bogus celebrity: winning an award for something he never did, being photographed in Hello! in someone else's house, and ultimately making a fool of the entire mad and shallow celebrity merry-go-round.

Wandering around a busy railway station, a confused man realises he has suffered a total memory loss. When he is eventually rescued, he is told that his breakdown has probably been triggered by his marital problems. But then he comes face to face with the stranger he is supposed to be divorcing and promptly falls head over heels in love with her.

Un homme évanoui reprend conscience. Il a tout oublié... y compris qu'il a une femme ! Après un étrange malaise, un homme se réveille. Il ne se souvient de rien : ni de son nom, ni de ses enfants... ni de sa femme. Quand il revoit celle-ci pour la première fois, c'est le coup de foudre. Pas de chance, elle le déteste, et ils sont en plein divorce. Il n'aura désormais plus qu'une obsession : la reconquérir. Parviendra-t-il à séduire cette belle inconnue qui ne veut plus entendre parler de lui ? Et comment ce mariage d'amour a-t-il pu, au bout de vingt ans, en arriver là ?

Michael Adams žije s třemi dalšími muži kolem třicítky v pronajatém bytě. Celé dny tráví v posteli, hraje počítačové hry a tu a tam trochu pracuje. A pak, když má náladu, přejede na opačnou stranu řeky a vrátí se ke své nic netušící manželce a dětem. Michael žije dvojím životem - uniká z vyčerpávajícího stereotypu péče kolem dětí tím, že své ženě tvrdí, že musí pracovat přes noc nebo odjet kvůli nějaké zakázce na sever. A zatímco se s nimi Catherine statečně potýká sama, její manžel se nachází jen pár mil od ní ve svém tajném bytě a dělá všechny ty věci, o kterých si může většina otců s malými dětmi nechat jen zdát. Myslí si, že může mít obojí, ale jeho podvod je nakonec nevyhnutelně odhalen..